could dump several inches of rain, from florida to maine. credible threat. the newly uncovered terror plot against the u.s. and our allies in europe. did osama bin laden give his okay? and curtains up. country music's mecca returns to its former glory. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. we begin, now, with what could be a very wet day along a good part of the eastern seaboard. >> south florida is the area closest to the big storm that is likely to strengthen into tropical storm nicole. some residents have already laid out sandbags in preparation. tropical storm warnings are in effect for key west and south florida counties. those around major cities like miami and ft. lauderdale. >> it's moving north rapidly. accuweather's ava dinges has

more. >> the latest tropical system moving for cuba. it's dropping torrential rainfall over cuba. and also, with strong, gusty winds. it's moving into southeastern florida, where miami could pick up four inches of rain just throughout the day. the storm system quickly heading up the east coast, where flooding will again be a concern, into cities like new york and philadelphia. especially into thursday. now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> thanks for that, ava. and sam champion is tracking this tropical trouble. he'll have the latest track plus live coverage from florida today, later today on "good morning america." there are heightened security fears in europe this morning, after a terror plot was uncovered with the capture of a single suspect. now, there's an international manhunt for those involved. emily schmidt reports. >> reporter: in paris, tuesday night, officials evacuated the eiffel tower, after a caller from a phone booth issued a threat. it was a false alarm, but the second evacuation in just two weeks. now, there is a new explanation nor all of the caution.

a senior u.s. official tells abc news there is a credible threat of a major series of new terror attacks on britain, france, germany and possibly the united states. the information comes after questioning a captured suspected german jihadist, who reportedly claimed osama bin laden personally approved the plat. >> the american authorities are extremely nervous about what is going on. the germans are extremely nervous about what is going on. >> reporter: officials are now looking for other radicalized germans, who may have been training in pakistan, for a commando-style raid, similar to attacks on hotels in mumbai, india, two years ago. officials do not know of a time or place of the attack. but just last week, the head of the fbi testified on capitol hill, about increased worries about nonspecific, new threats. >> despite the significant counterterrorism pressure abroad, al qaeda continues to be committed to high-profile attacks directed at the west, including plans against europe, as well as the homeland.

>> reporter: officials say some of the recruits that they are seeking now are from the same german mosque as where 9/11 terrorists gathered. that mosque has been closed by officials. it happened last month after officials learned of the terrorist plot. vinita? >> emily schmidt in washington this morning. thank you. it was a terror attack in afghanistan that brought president hamid karzai to tears. karzai got emotional during a speech yesterday, condemning the violence in his country and asking afghans to forsake it. he asked the taliban not to destroy afghanistan for the benefit of others. president obama is in iowa this morning, after delivering an energetic message to his core supporters. crisscro crisscrossing the country, and talks about the economy. karen travers is trovling with the president. >> the stakes are too high for our country and for your fuch per and i'm going to get out there and fight as hard as i

can. >> reporter: before a crowd of 17,000 at the university of wisconsin, mostly students, mr. obama pleaded with young voters to bring back the enthusiasm from the 2008 campaign. the goal is clear, rev up the young voters who were critical to the obama campaign success in 2008. in a year, 66% of those voters went for mr. obama. 32% went for senator john mccain. but two years later, that enthusiasm has cooled off among young and older democrats. the president and vice president are scolding their own party. in an interview with "rolling stone," the president said democrats need to wake up. and on monday, mr. biden said the base needs to stop whining and buck up. this could keep voters at home on election day. the message they're hearing from the president is they're slackers. but president obama was optimistic that won't happen. he said last night if everyone who voted for change in 2008

comes back in november, democrats will win. rob and vinita? president obama has given rare insight into his religious faith. some conservatives and opponents have questioned if mr. obama is a christian. mr. obama told a crowd in new mexico that he did not grow up in a church. but came to it as an adult. >> i'm a christian by choice. i came to my christian faith later in life. and it was because the precepts, jesus kris, spoke to me in the terms of the life i want to lead. >> it's part of an effort to express his christian faith. 11 people are missing after a huge mudslide hit a small down in southern mexico. hundreds were buried in the slide. but officials have backtracked. it took ten hours for soldiers and relief workers to get to the

area because mud and rocks blocked the way. heavy rains have caused flooding in mexico and south america. jimmy carter resumes his big book tour today after something of a health care. the 85-year-old carter was taken to a cleveland hospital yesterday, after suffering upset stomach on a flight from atlanta. he's doing fine now. but he spent the night in the hospital for observation. the death toll from the california pipeline explosion has now climbed to eight. 58-year-old james franco died at a san francisco hospital yesterday. franco was in a home about 200 feet from the site of that deadly explosion. in nashville, it was home, sweet, home for the grand ole opry. music returned to the famed opry house for the first time since it was ravaged by historic flooding in may. and the all-star lineup included brad paisley, keith urban and martina mcbride. it took $20 million of renovations to bring the opry back to its former glory.

and now for this morning's weather from around the country. the tropical weather battering florida also brings drenching rain, flooding and gusty winds and a chance of tornados to the carolinas. and look for late-day downpours in baugh, new york and boston. scattered showers across minnesota, wisconsin and michigan. >> 80s in kansas city. and 87 in dallas. wet 89 in miami. 72 in baltimore. and 77 in new york. hot in the southwest, getting up to 104 in phoenix. and 96 degrees in sacramento. and when we come back this morning, your morning mouthwash may not be delivering on everything it claims. then, one of the nation's largest universities on lockdown. a student with a gun and echoes of past campus tragedies. plus, we'll have the latest celebrity to be shown the door. and their parting words for one 333333333dges. i do a lot of different kinds of exercise, but basically, i'm a runner.

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nothing works faster. insurance giant, aig, is finalizing a plan to repay its taxpayer bailout. published reports say the insurance giant is working out a deal that would allow the government to sell its 80% stake in the company to private investors over time. many experts are saying it's unlikely taxpayers will recoup all of their money. overseas stock markets are raising this morning. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow gained 46 points yesterday. the nasdaq added almost ten

points. the american workforce is almost an even split these days between men and women. but when it comes to pay, men are still making more than women. a new study finds that female managers earn 81 cents for every dollar male managers are paid. that's almost the same as a decade ago. it's even worse for women with children who earn slightly less than those without. your mouthwash may not do everything it promises to do. the fda has warned johnson & johnson, cvs and walgreens to stop claiming their mouthwashes reprove plaque. the companies have 15 days to correct the claims. "star wars" is coming back to movie theaters. this time, in 3-d. all six movies will be re-released. and a car that looks like it is straight out of one of those futuristic films is about to hit the road. the single. seater billed as the most economical car in the world will

cost about 600 bucks. $600. it promises 258 miles on the gallon. the cars are expected to go on sale in china next year. the company insists those vehicles are safe. >> very tiny. 1.25 meters wide. >> don't get into an accident. coming up next on this wednesday morning, which states are home to some of the worst drivers? plus, one of the young men accusing a popular pastor of luring him into sex breaks his silence. and the parting shot. a war of words as one more star and the parting shot. a war of words as one more star goes home. 333333333 33333333333333333333333333333333

stormy weather in south florida will create nasty morning road conditions in the southeast. flooding on i-95 from miami into the carolinas and washington, d.c. expect i-75 to be flooded from naples to gains vill. wet on i-35 from duluth to minneapolis. and i-34, from minneapolis to madison. >> and if you're flying today,

you can expect some airport delays in philadelphia, new york, washington, charlotte and miami. it is back to class and back to normal this morning on the campus of the university of texas. >> that massive campus was locked down yesterday when a student wearing a ski mask opened fire with an assault rifle. then, 19-year-old colton tooley fled to the library where he fatally shot himself. no other students were injured. but police searched the school grounds and buildings in the case of a second gunman. kids on their way to class were understandably shaken. >> i had never really experienced anything like this before. >> we heard loud pops. i said, did you just hear that? are those gunshots? >> see people screaming. get down. there's somebody with a gun. he's got a mask. crazy guy. it's just -- it scare med. >> the gunman was described as an excellent student. in fact, one former teacher called colton tooley brilliant. back in 1966, a gunman killed 16 people and wounded almost 3

dozen others on a shooting spree from the top of the u.t. clock tower. and we're hearing for the first time from one of the young men accusing poster eddie long of misconduct. he claims that long used his spiritual authority, while luring him into a sexual relationship. and paris says, that man cannot look me in the eye and says we did not live this pain. of long, paris says, you're not a man. you're a monster. he said he is not the person now being portrayed in the media. they had hoped to show america what polygamy was all about. now, the utah family with four wives is being investigated by police for violating bigamy laws. the family is featured in the new show "sister wives." cody brown is legally married to one of the women. federal investigators are heading to milwaukee after a skywest plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

the plane's left landing gear refused to lower. no one onboard was hurt. a commute irjet made an emergency landing in new york after a similar problem. now, for a dubious distinction for north dakota, home of the worst drivers in the country. the list of the top five states with the deadliest, least-skilled motorists. the ranking compiled by "the daily beast" found 18-year-olds to 20-year-olds were the most dangerous drivers in virtually every state. and democrats fair better on the roads than republicans. new research could point to a link between sudden infant death syndrome and the drinking habits of parents. california investigators found that the s.i.d.s cases occur more often on new year's day, than any other day of the year. that's also a day that people drink more alcohol than any other day. there's two more spots to claim before baseball's playoff teams are set. details on the latest entries

from espn news. >> i'm sara walsh with your espn news update. baseball's playoffs haven't started yet. we can tell you three teams that will be there when they begin. with a win, dusty baker's reds would clinch. reds were down a run. bases loaded. brandon phillips, the chopper to the left side. scott rolen would beat the throw. cabrera scores. game tied 2-2. jay bruce leading off. and jay bruce, with a solo shot to center to win it. the reds win 3-2. they clinch the a.l. central. they're in the postseason for the first time since 1995. joe maddon and the ray, one win away from clinching their own spot in the postseason. carlos pena, a shot to right. his 28th of the season. the rays are up 3-0. so, the champagne is on ice. the rays are ready to pop it open. they need three more outs in the top of the ninth. rafael soriano finishes it off.

the race win 5-0. they clinch their playoff berth for the second time in the club's history. and the yankees taking on the blue jays. c.c. sabathia and the yankees, trying to punch their ticket. c.c. sabathia, gets batista zwicking. again. two on, two outs. mariano rivera gets overbay to ground out. the yankees do some celebrating of their own. as they are in the playoffs with a 6-1 win. of course, the pennant, still very much up for grabs between the rays and the yankees. have a great day, everyone. now, some hollywood news. singer michael bolton can kiss that mirrorball trophy good-bye. >> the 57-year-old became the second celebrity to get the boot from "dancing with the stars" last night, after earning just 12 out of the available 30

points. wallflower judge, bruno, said boulton's jive was probably the worst in the show's history. but boulton shot back, calling the comments inappropriate and disrespectful. but he said he still had a wonderful time on the show. it said he was phenomenal. >> if you haven't had enough of the "dancing with the stars" fun, you'll get more from michael bolton a's his partner later today on "good morning america." >> first, the hoff. now, boulton. >> but the situation is still in there. we're grateful for that. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today. including a major tropical system, ready to impact the entire east coast today. system, ready to impact the entire east coast today. stay with us. 333333333 333333333333♪ 333333333333333333 hi, a number two please? would you like that to hurt now, or later? uh, what? sir, it's a simple question, do you want heartburn pain now or later? [ male announcer ] these heartburn medicines make you choose between hurting now, or later. pepcid® complete doesn't. it starts to neutralize acid in seconds and keeps it under control all day or all night. sometimes you gotta make compromises, man.

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outspoken by fergie. exclusively for avon. call your avon representative now. now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. south florida is bracing for more tropical trouble in the form of a fast-moving storm that's likely to dump several inches of rain. tropical storm warnings are now in effect. winds of up to 50 miles per hour are also likely, as the form moves up the eastern seaboard. tourists can once again visit the eiffel tower. the monument was closed after a bomb scare. security fears are heightened in europe after the discovery of a plot to attack not only france, but also britain and possibly the u.s., as well. president obama resumes his road trip, waking up in iowa, after a rally in wisconsin last night. he'll meet with families in des moines. and then, richmond, virginia, talking about their economic struggles, before heading back

to the white house. a woman who falsely claimed that a stranger had attacked her with acid is expected to plead not xlt in court later today. bethany storro accepted thousands in donations before admitting she threw the acid on herself. authorities do believe she suffers from some mental health issues. and on this national coffee day, dunkin' donuts and career builder conducted a survey to see who is most in need of a morning fix. the survey said 32% of workers needed coffee just to get through the workday. the profession that needed their cup of joe the most, nurses. >> us, too. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for others, rent-a-wolf. revealing the truth about wildlife films. i was! well, you could enjoy the taste of decadent dark chocolate, the crunch of almonds, plus 35% of your daily fiber... plus antioxidants in a kellogg's fiber plus bar. mmmm.

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if you leave in baltimore county you must have a co detector. you could say it's all part of the job, but what an anne arundel police officer did, you can call him a hero. i love that story. those stories and more just ahead on this wednesday morning. it's jamie's birthday. >> thank you very much. listen, how are you feeling out there? we'll get bad weather in the next couple hours, huh? >> let's send it to justin berk. >> happy birthday, jamie. in honor of your birthday, we got you a cake, and jumping out of if is someone named danielle. >> that's good. tropical storm nicole will be coming out. i threw you off there. nicole hasn't even formed yet, but i believe nicole will be forming today. coming out of the uh, southern florida straits and off the

coast of cuba, this thing will race towards maryland. rain, two to four inches or more expected. this is going to be a big time problem. this morning we start off with temperatures into the 50s, 56 degrees in cockeysville. 59 in carney and down towards arnold. showers lingering off the shoreline. high thin clouds begin to spread and thicken back up today. am temperature, by the way, is off. we're looking for a quick jump from 66 to 71. we'll stay in the 60s with rain developing later on. let's get the first check of the roads. the happy birthday traffic report with kim brown. >> happy birthday, jamie. our favorite person up here, easily. no accidents to let you know about right now, however in anne